Poniard Completes Patient Enrollment Target In Phase 3 Spear Trial Of Picoplatin In Small Cell Lung Cancer

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.– Poniard Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on oncology, today announced that it has reached its enrollment target of 400 patients in the SPEAR (Study of Picoplatin Efficacy After Relapse) trial. This global, pivotal Phase 3 trial is evaluating the efficacy and safety of picoplatin in patients with recurrent small cell lung cancer (SCLC) who have failed prior platinum-containing first-line chemotherapy or who have progressed within six months of first-line therapy. Patients have been enrolled at more than 100 clinical trial sites in 16 countries in Europe, South America and Asia. “Completion of patient enrollment in our pivotal Phase 3 SPEAR trial represents an import…

Early referral of cancer drugs by UK Health Minister

The UK Secretary of State for Health, Patricia Hewitt, has announced her decision to make an early referral of two cancer drugs to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in advance of its 12th wave work programme.

The two cancer drugs are Herceptin (trastuzumab) used in the treatment of early stage breast cancer and Velcade (bortezomib) for the treatment of multiple myeloma.

Herceptin (Trastuzumab) is not yet licensed for the treatment of early stage breast cancer. Trastuzumab is an anti-neoplastic agent currently in Phase III trials as an adjunct to the standard treatment for early (operable) breast cancer. Trastuzumab is already licenced for patients with metastatic breast cancer whose tumours over-express HER2 as a single agent for second and third line treatment, in combination with paclitaxel as first line therapy and in combination with docetaxel as first line therapy.

Investigation of the usability of conebeam CT data sets for dose calculation

Background:
To investigate the feasibility and accuracy of dose calculation in cone beam CT (CBCT) data sets.
Methods:
Kilovoltage CBCT images were acquired with the Elekta XVI system, CT studies generated with a conventional multi-slice CT scanner (Siemens Somatom Sensation Open) served as reference images. Material specific volumes of interest (VOI) were defined for commercial CT Phantoms (CATPhan(R) and Gammex RMI(R)) and CT values were evaluated in CT and CBCT images. For CBCT imaging, the influence of image acquisition parameters such as tube voltage, with or without filter (F1 or F0) and collimation on the CT values was investigated. CBCT images of 33 patients (pelvis n=11, thorax n=11, head n=11) were compared with corresponding planning CT studies. Dose distributions for three different treatment plans were calculated in CT and CBCT images and differences were evaluated. Four different correction strategies to match CT values (HU) and density (D) in CBCT images were analysed: standard CT HU-D table without adjustment for CBCT; phantom based HU-D tables; patient group based HU-D tables (pelvis, thorax, head); and patient specific HU-D tables.
Results:
CT values in the CBCT images of the CATPhan(R) were highly variable depending on the image acquisition parameters: a mean difference of 564 HU +/- 377 HU was calculated between CT values determined from the planning CT and CBCT images. Hence, two protocols were selected for CBCT imaging in the further part of the study and HU-D tables were always specific for these protocols (pelvis and thorax with M20F1 filter, 120 kV; head S10F0 no filter, 100kV). For dose calculation in real patient CBCT images, the largest differences between CT and CBCT were observed for the standard CT HU-D table: differences were 8.0 % +/- 5.7 %, 10.9 % +/- 6.8 % and 14.5 % +/- 10.4 % respectively for pelvis, thorax and head patients using clinical treatment plans. The use of patient and group based HU-D tables resulted in small dose differences between planning CT and CBCT: 0.9 % +/- 0.9 %, 1.8 % +/- 1.6 %, 1.5 % +/- 2.5 % for pelvis, thorax and head patients, respectively. The application of the phantom based HU-D table was acceptable for the head patients but larger deviations were determined for the pelvis and thorax patient populations.
Conclusion:
The generation of three HU-D tables specific for the anatomical regions pelvis, thorax and head and specific for the corresponding CBCT image acquisition parameters resulted in accurate dose calculation in CBCT images. Once these HU-D tables are created, direct dose calculation on CBCT datasets is possible without the need of a reference CT images for pixel value calibration.

Low Fat Diet Reduces Breast Cancer Risk

Recent results from the Women’s Intervention Nutrition Study offer new hope to breast cancer survivors. It was shown that women who followed a low-fat diet when recovering reduced their risk of breast cancer recurrence by 24% over the next five years.

Results from the study, though significant, do not put closure to the relationship between fat and recurring breast cancer. Researchers note that different fats may have different effects. Furthermore, confounding variables (factors not accounted for in the study) such as the woman’s life stage and life-style choices other than diet, may increase or decrease risk for breast cancer.

Nereus Pharmaceuticals Initiates ADVANCE, A Randomized Phase 2 Clinical Trial Of NPI-2358 In Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

SAN DIEGO — Nereus Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a pioneer in drug discovery from marine microbial sources, today announced that it is conducting a randomized Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating the vascular disrupting agent (VDA) NPI-2358 in combination with standard chemotherapy (docetaxel) in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This study follows on positive outcomes in the Phase 1 study assessing the safety, pharmacokinetics and efficacy of the combination. Preclinical and clinical data suggest that VDAs may be complementary or synergistic with chemotherapeutics and anti-angiogenesis agents due to the different targets and mechanisms of action. In addition, the non-overlapping side effect profile of VDAs compa…

Breast Cancer – One in Nine Women – Dubai Hospital

Dubai’s Belhoul European Hospital estimates that one in nine women develop breast cancer in their lifetime.

But Dr Rehab Abdallah Abdelrazig believes early breast cancer diagnosis and breast cancer treatment means a better chance of survival for breast cancer patients.

Women of all ages can develop breast cancer. However, the risk of breast cancer increases with age and therefore women over the age of 65 years make up the larger percentage of breast cancer victims.

Med Biogene Expands Collaboration With University Health Network For Novel Gene-Markers Predictive Of Chemotherapy Response In Lung Cancer

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA — Med BioGene Inc. today announced that it has expanded its previous exclusive license and collaboration with the University Health Network in Toronto to develop and commercialize LungExpress Dx(TM) to include additional novel gene expression-based markers for early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). LungExpress Dx(TM) is a proprietary gene expression-based assay for early-stage NSCLC that will be used to predict a patient’s prognosis for survival and the magnitude of benefit for adjuvant chemotherapy. “Not all patients benefit from chemotherapy and not all patients require chemotherapy after surgery,” said Dr. Ming-Sound Tsao of the University Health Network. “Knowing that a patie…

Breast Cancer Risk reduced by Good Night’s Sleep

A study led by Dr. Eva Schernhammer, an epidemiologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, says that the risk of breast cancer may be reduced by getting a good night’s sleep.

According to the study, women with the highest levels of melatonin, a hormone that the body produces when a person is sleeping in the dark, have a forty percent lower risk of developing breast cancer than women with low levels of melatonin.

The Lowdown on Skin Cancer

Skin is our largest organ and one that is not immune to developing cancerous cells. Skin cancer develops when damaged cells start growing and dividing uncontrollably in the skin. This form of cancer is the most prevalent with more than one million cases in the United States diagnosed each year. Here we will cover some of the commonly asked questions about skin cancer.

Carle Foundation to help set up Breast Cancer Institute

According to this breast cancer news report, with the help of a $10 million windfall, The Carle Foundation is now hoping to break ground in the fall of 2006 on a new breast cancer research and breast cancer treatment center in Urbana.

And if all goes according to plan, the Mills Breast Cancer Institute – to be named after its major benefactors, Douglas and Linda Mills – will open its doors in 2008.

To be built at the southeast corner of University Avenue and Orchard Street, just east of Carle’s south clinic, the Breast Cancer Institute will house both breast cancer treatments and joint Carle/University of Illinois breast cancer research.

Parotid gland sparing IMRT for head and neck cancer improves xerostomia related quality of life

Background and purpose: To assess the impact of intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) versus conventional radiation on late xerostomia and Quality of Life aspects in head and neck cancer patients.
Patients and methods: Questionnaires on xerostomia in rest and during meals were sent to all patients treated between January 1999 and December 2003 with a T1-4, N0-2 M0 head and neck cancer, with parotid gland sparing IMRT or conventional bilateral neck irradiation to a dose of at least 60 Gy, who were progression free and had no disseminated disease (n= 192). Overall response was 85 % (n = 163); 97 % in the IMRT group (n = 75) and 77 % in the control group (n = 88) the median follow-up was 2.6 years. The prevalence of complaints was compared between the two groups, correcting for all relevant factors at multivariate ordinal regression analysis.
Results:
Patients treated with IMRT reported significantly less difficulty transporting and swallowing their food and needed less water for a dry mouth during day, night and meals. They also experienced fewer problems with speech and eating in public. Laryngeal cancer patients in general had fewer complaints than oropharynx cancer patients but both groups benefited from IMRT. Within the IMRT group the xerostomia scores were better for those patients with a mean parotid dose to the "spared" parotid below 26 Gy.
Conclusions:
Parotid gland sparing IMRT for head and neck cancer patients improves xerostomia related quality of life compared to conventional radiation both in rest and during meals. Laryngeal cancer patients had fewer complaints but benefited equally compared to oropharyngeal cancer patients from IMRT.

Gemin X Initiates Phase 2 Clinical Study Of Obatoclax In Combination With Standard Chemotherapy For First-Line Treatment Of Small Cell Lung Cancer

Gemin X Pharmaceuticals, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel, targeted cancer therapeutics, announced the initiation of a Phase 2 clinical trial of its lead product candidate obatoclax (GX15-070) for the treatment of patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (SCLC). In this multi-center, randomized, open-label Phase 2 study, clinical effect of a combination of carboplatin, etoposide and obatoclax (the CEO regimen) will be compared to the standard chemotherapeutic therapy of carboplatin and etoposide alone (the control arm) in patients with SCLC. The primary endpoint of the study, expected to enroll approximately 150 patients with SCLC, is comparison of overall response rate (ORR) for the obatoclax-contain…

Breast cancer drug Herceptin approved for use

Following British Columbia’s lead, Ontario, Saskatchewan and Quebec yesterday approved the expensive breast cancer drug Herceptin, which is being considered a breakthrough breast cancer treatment by many doctors.

Ontario approved $148 million over three years to fund three promising cancer treatments, including Herceptin, described by doctors as a breakthrough breast cancer treatment because studies suggest it could prevent the recurrence of breast cancer by up to 50 per cent.

More details on this new wonder drug for breast cancer are available here.

CyberKnife Radiosurgery For Lung Cancer Sees Increased Interest And Continued Rapid Growth

Accuray Incorporated, a global leader in the field of radiosurgery, announced significant growth in CyberKnife lung cancer treatments in calendar year 2008. The number of lung cancer patients treated with CyberKnife radiosurgery in the United States grew 52 percent from calendar year 2007 to 2008 and 43 percent worldwide. Additionally the overall number of patients treated with CyberKnife radiosurgery grew to more than 60,000 patients – a 14 percent increase from calendar year 2007 to 2008, demonstrating the increasing awareness and continued rapid adoption of CyberKnife radiosurgery, with lung being the leading extracranial indication by utilization in calendar year 2008. The increasing interest in CyberKnife radiosurgery for lung tumor…

Increasing Accuracy and Patient Comfort With Digital Mammography

308

There’s encouraging news for women. Not only is it becoming easier to catch and treat breast cancer in its earliest stages, but new technologies are making the process of diagnosing the disease more comfortable for the patient–and more accurate as well.
Increasing Accuracy and Patient Comfort With Digital Mammography
There’s encouraging news for women. Not only is it becoming easier to catch and treat breast cancer in its earliest stages, but new technologies are making the process of diagnosing the disease more comfortable for the patient-and more accurate as well.

The National Cancer Institute recommends mammography screenings every one to two years for women over 40 and annually for women over 50. In addition, women at high risk of developing breast cancer (for example, women with a strong family history of breast cancer or who test positive for the BRCA breast cancer gene) are encouraged to begin annual mammography screenings even earlier-sometimes as young as 25-and should consult a physician.

Benefits and risks

• Early detection of small breast cancers greatly improves a woman’s chances for successful treatment. If breast cancer is caught and treated while it is still confined to the breast ducts, the cure rate is close to 100 percent.

• Clinical studies in the U.S., Sweden and the Netherlands have suggested that deaths from breast cancer could be cut by between 36 and 44 percent if screening mammography were performed annually on all women in their 40s.

Digital mammography

One of the most recent advances in breast cancer screening is digital mammography. Digital mammography uses essentially the same system as conventional mammography, but is equipped with a digital receptor and a computer instead of a film cassette.

Digital mammography systems such as Siemens Medical Solutions’ Mammomat?NovationDR enable faster and more accurate viewing of the dense tissue of the breast. Images are acquired digitally and displayed immediately on the system monitor.

According to a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, digital mammography was significantly better than conventional mammography at screening women in any of the following categories:

• under age 50;

• any age with very dense or extremely dense breasts; or

• pre- or perimenopausal women of any age.

Breast Cancer Treatment: Surviving Chemotherapy

1223

Chemotherapy is a word that strikes fear into most of our hearts. We’ve seen the movies and heard such horrible stories about undergoing this difficult treatment for a disease that could very well kill us. I underwent chemo for breast cancer, and here are some of the things I learned.
breast cancer treatment
Chemotherapy is a word that strikes fear into most of our hearts. We’ve seen the movies and heard such horrible stories about undergoing this difficult treatment for a disease that could very well kill us. I underwent chemo for breast cancer and know that, in some cases, the cancer isn’t hard ?it isn’t painful ?it doesn’t make us sick. That’s the case for most of us who have breast cancer, but don’t have distant metastases. But then, they say we need to do chemo and we know we’ll feel that.

Although chemo drugs haven’t changed that much, and they’re still terribly hard on our bodies, the management drugs have changed a lot. Chemotherapy, for many of us, isn’t the show-stopper we thought it would be. Of course, each of us is different and the chemo drugs affect each of us in different ways, but, for the most part, chemo is definitely doable.

My breast cancer was Stage IIIa, with a 5.8 cm tumor, 8 of 10 lymph nodes positive, and I was only 39 years old. That bought me a ticket for the chemo ride. And I was scared out of my wits. But, I found an online breast cancer support group, at WebMD, and those women told me everything to expect and more. I went through four rounds of adriamycin and cytoxan. Both of them are some pretty stout breast cancer chemo drugs. After that, I did a controversial treatment that involved extremely high doses of cytoxan, taxol, and cisplatin, so I learned quite a bit about surviving chemotherapy.

First of all, I would highly recommend getting a port. This is a line that goes into a vein in your chest, the entrance to which sits just under your skin, right below your collarbone. It requires a quick surgery to put it in but, if you’re having a mastectomy for your breast cancer, you can get the chemo port put in at the same time. If you choose not to do that, you’ll have to get your chemo treatments through your veins and chemo is really hard on your veins. This means that you will, most likely, have to endure multiple attempts for them to find a vein, as time goes by. With the port, it’s already in a vein, so all they have to do is stick the needle into the port to access it. If you find this uncomfortable, there is a cream they can give you called Emla cream. One of the first things I learned was to tell them the moment I was uncomfortable. It’s all fixable. You’ll put the Emla cream on a bit before you have to have your port accessed and it’ll numb your skin.

Most breast cancer chemotherapy drugs will cause your hair to fall out. This is because chemo kills the rapidly dividing cells in your body. Your mucous areas and hair follicles are affected for this reason. That’s why you may have nausea or develop mouth or throat sores. Again, all this sounds scary, but is totally manageable. Since you will probably be losing your hair, which can be quite traumatic, I would advise going wig or hat shopping before you even get your first chemo. Take a girlfriend with you and be adventurous. Try on different styles, and even colors. If you’ve always wanted to be a blonde, now’s your chance! Make a day of it and have fun with it. Goodness knows, you have to look for that silver lining every chance you get. Also, make sure to have your nausea med prescription filled before you go so you’ll have it waiting for you if you need it at home. You may be pretty tired, afterward, so don’t wait till then to get those meds.

On your first chemo day, they will probably give you some steroids, intravenously or through your port, to help with the nausea. This may make you hungry; it sure did for me! But, I would recommend you don’t eat your favorite food on chemo day. Chemo is manageable, but after you’re all done, you may find that you have associations. For example, I used to love the cucumber melon fragrance when I was going through chemo. I had cucumber melon everything! But, to this day, the smell of cucumber melon makes my stomach do a little somersault because it reminds me of such an unpleasant time in my life. The same can happen with food. I still can’t look a chicken burrito in the eye! But, I’m sure glad I didn’t eat a taco because I would’ve hated for that to be ruined for me!

Many breast cancer chemo drugs are hard on your bladder, so be sure to drink, drink, drink. If you don’t feel like drinking water, then broth, jello, or even popsicles will help. Since you’ve gotten your nausea meds all filled in advance, be sure to take them as prescribed, whether you think you need them or not. Chemo nausea isn’t just any kind of nausea and it’s much easier to stay ahead of it than to try to fix it once it occurs. If you do happen to get nauseated, and I can’t stress this enough, call your doctor!!! There are many, many nausea meds and you do not have to feel sick just because you’re doing chemo. Once they find the right drug for you, it will be so much easier. So, do not suffer this in silence! The same applies for if you get sores in your mouth or throat.

You will be tired from this treatment. Most of us get more tired as the treatments progress because they make our white blood cell counts drop really low. Because of this, it’s a good idea to keep some Purell, or something similar, with you all the time for use when you’ve had to touch, for example, public restroom door handles. Your risk of infection will be much higher during this time.

If you lose your hair, it will typically happen in 10-14 days after your first chemo treatment. If you have long hair, you might want to cut it short in preparation. I know I felt so out of control of everything, during that time. When your hair comes out, it lets go quickly and in large clumps, getting all over your pillow and clogging your drain. For many women, that is more traumatic than even losing a breast. So, I figured that was the one thing I could control about this whole breast cancer thing ?when my hair came out. I cut it really short, beforehand and, when it started to let go, I had my husband get the clippers and shave my head. My daughter helped and we did a little Mohawk and stripe action first!

That was my way of shaking my fist at this cancer ?it might take my breasts, and it might take my hair for a while, but I beat it to the punch! It was my way of saying, “You cannot take my spirit!” You can do the same thing. Your breast cancer does not define you. It is but a speed bump in the course of your life. Strap on your gloves and step into the ring. This chemo is your biggest punch. Your spirit is your own and that breast cancer can’t touch it!

New Lung Cancer Radiation Therapy Created

PHILADELPHIA — U.S. radiologists say they have developed a new lung cancer treatment that avoids conventional radiation regimens or surgical procedures. Temple University Professor Curtis Miyamoto, who led the research, said the technique — stereotactic body radiotherapy — improves the odds of surviving early stage lung cancer. “With the success of this technique, we’re now questioning whether we’ll even be doing surgeries on these patients in the future,” Miyamoto said. Unlike conventional radiation therapy for lung cancer that can involve therapy five days a week for six or seven weeks, the SBRT treatment requires only three to eight treatments. For those who undergo SBRT, the median survival range is more tha…

Radiation-induced skin injury in the animal model of scleroderma: implications for post-radiotherapy fibrosis

Background:
Radiation therapy is generally contraindicated for cancer patients with collagen vascular diseases (CVD) such as scleroderma due to an increased risk of fibrosis. The tight skin (TSK) mouse has skin which, in some respects, mimics that of patients with scleroderma. The skin radiation response of TSK mice has not been previously reported. If TSK mice are shown to have radiation sensitive skin, they may prove to be a useful model to examine the mechanisms underlying skin radiation injury, protection, mitigation and treatment.
Methods:
The hind limbs of TSK and parental control C57BL/6 mice received a radiation exposure sufficient to cause approximately the same level of acute injury. Endpoints included skin damage scored using a non-linear, semi-quantitative scale and tissue fibrosis assessed by measuring passive leg extension. In addition, TGF-β1 cytokine levels were measured monthly in skin tissue.
Results:
Contrary to our expectations, TSK mice were more resistant (i.e. 20%) to radiation than parental control mice. Although acute skin reactions were similar in both mouse strains, radiation injury in TSK mice continued to decrease with time such that several months after radiation there was significantly less skin damage and leg contraction compared to C57BL/6 mice (p < 0.05). Consistent with the expected association of transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF-β1) with late tissue injury, levels of the cytokine were significantly higher in the skin of the C57BL/6 mouse compared to TSK mouse at all time points (p < 0.05).
Conclusion:
TSK mice are not recommended as a model of scleroderma involving radiation injury. The genetic and molecular basis for reduced radiation injury observed in TSK mice warrants further investigation particularly to identify mechanisms capable of reducing tissue fibrosis after radiation injury.

Breast Cancer – Estrogen Dominance & The Imbalance Of Hormones

380

How do we become estrogen dominant? Our food chain is laced with toxic pesticides, herbicides and growth hormones – a sea of endocrine-disrupting chemicals that mimic estrogen in the body. If we are overweight, our body’s store of excess fat can be converted into estrogen. Insulin resistance also leads to estrogen dominance. Then there is estrogen found in ERT, HRT and Birth Control Pills.
breast,cancer,hormones,women,health,medical,hrt,saliva,testing,estrogen
Estrogen Dominance is a term coined by the late John R. Lee, M.D., author of a number of books on the topic of women’s hormones. The theory of Estrogen Dominance describes a condition where a woman can have deficient, normal or excessive estrogen but has little or no progesterone to balance its effects in the body. Even a woman with low estrogen levels can have estrogen dominance symptoms if she doesn’t have any progesterone. Basically estrogen dominance reflects hormones that have gone out of balance. Out of balance hormones can affect women from 14 to 94.

How do we become estrogen dominant? Our food chain is laced with toxic pesticides, herbicides and growth hormones – a sea of endocrine-disrupting chemicals that mimic estrogen in the body. If we are overweight, our body’s store of excess fat can be converted into estrogen. Insulin resistance also leads to estrogen dominance. Then there is estrogen found in ERT, HRT and Birth Control Pills.

Estrogen dominance also occurs in men. As men age, estrogen gradually rises, while saliva levels of progesterone and testosterone gradually fall. We often find men of fifty having higher saliva estrogen levels than women of fifty! A sign of estrogen dominance in men is the tendency for some to develop breasts.

An imbalance of hormones in our bodies results in hormone-related health problems such as PMS, endometriosis, uterine fibroids, infertility, post-partum depression, weight gain, increased blood clotting, thyroid dysfunction, even breast and uterine cancer in women and in men breast cancer, prostate problems and prostate cancer.

Estrogen Dominance can be detected by taking a saliva test. This simple test can accurately reveal hormone levels. Men can also take this simple at-home test to determine if their hormones are out of balance.

A saliva test evaluation will either move a man or woman to take action to bring balance to their own hormones or cause them to sit back and reflect on their good hormone health. Those over 50 can take an annual saliva test to keep track of their hormone levels.

Men and women who experience hormone imbalance feel unwell – bringing balance to their hormones is often a key to their wellness. There are safe natural alternatives available to drug therapies. Women and men must become more informed about their own hormone health.

Non Melanomatous Skin Cancer in Ireland

Many Irish people incorrectly feel that they are only at risk of skin cancer when holidaying abroad. However, the annual National cancer Registry report details how there were nearly 8,000 cases of non-melanoma skin cancer in 1997 alone. This means that skin cancer is now the most common form of cancer in Ireland and presently accounts for about a third of all Irish cancers. It is accepted that excessive exposure to direct sunlight is the main risk factor for non-melanoma skin cancer in Ireland with fair-skinned individuals particularly at risk.

Smoking Behavior Partially Explains Socioeconomic Inequities In Lung Cancer Incidence

Europeans with the least education have a higher incidence of lung cancer compared with those with the highest education. However, smoking history accounts for approximately half of this risk, according to a study in the February 24 online issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Previous studies showed that individuals with a lower socioeconomic status have a higher risk for developing lung cancer. Some studies have also suggested that some of the excess risk of lung cancer is due to smoking. To further investigate the contribution of smoking to the discrepancy in lung cancer incidence, Gwenn Menvielle, Ph.D., and colleagues examined the association of smoking, diet, education, and lung cancer in 391,251 individuals in…

Halve Your Risk Of Breast Cancer?

1096

We hear it all the time…lose weight for your health. Few people however, realize the extent to which this is critical to their physical well-being and ultimately their life expectancy.
cancer,cancers,breast,body,mass,index,bmi,health,healthy,cells,calories,calorie,obesity,obese
We hear it all the time…lose weight for your health. Few people however, realize the extent to which this is critical to their physical well-being and ultimately their life expectancy.

In January 2003, the Journal of the American Medical Association featured a study finding that obesity appears to lessen life expectancy, especially among young adults. The researchers compared Body-Mass Index (BMI) to longevity and found a correlation between premature death and higher BMIs. For example, a 20-year-old white male, 5?0?weighing 288 pounds with a BMI of greater than 40 was estimated to lose 13 years of his life as a result of obesity.Jamie McManus, M.D., F.A.A.F.P. and author of “Your Personal Guide to Wellness?notes that while this study referenced extreme levels of obesity, there are still millions of overweight people in developed countries with a life expectancy rate that is three to five years less than their healthy-weight counterparts. She also estimates that there are 600,000 obesity related deaths each year in America.

Just how does obesity shorten our lifespan? The answer to this question is complex, yet there is a clear link between obesity and the development of cancer. An extensive study conducted by the American Cancer Institute involving 750,000 people showed that obesity significantly increased the risk of cancer developing in the following organs: breast, colon, ovaries, uterus, pancreas, kidneys and gallbladder.

Michael Thun, MD, vice-president of epidemiology and surveillance research for the American Cancer Society (ACS) says one reason obesity may raise cancer risk is because fat cells produce a form of estrogen called estradiol that promotes rapid division of cells, increasing chances of a random genetic error while cells are replicating, which can lead to cancer. In addition, fat centered around the abdomen may increase insulin and insulin-like growth factors in the blood, which may increase cancer risk.

“Women who are obese after menopause have a 50% higher relative risk of breast cancer,” notes Thun, “and obese men have a 40% higher relative risk of colon cancer? Gallbladder and endometrial cancer risks are five times higher for obese individuals?There is evidence that cancer rates in developed countries are increasing at 5 to 15 times faster than developing countries. A major contributor to this alarming reality has proven to be diet. In populations where the diet consists mostly of fresh fruit and vegetables and whole grains ?in contrast to the typical Western diet of fatty meats, refined flours, oils and sugars ?the risk of cancer is much lower.

The interaction of diet and the development of cancer is an active field of research and Dr David Heber, M.D., Ph.D. and author of “What Color is Your Diet? says “It appears that diet has its most significant effects after the cancer has already formed, acting to inhibit or stimulate the growth of that cancer? At the risk of oversimplifying a complex set of interactions, the typical Western diet that leads to obesity may actually act to stimulate the growth of cancer cells.It is never too late to improve your health through healthful eating and adopting a more health-giving lifestyle. Here are simple steps to follow which can make an immediate improvement to your health and vitality.

1. Check your Body Mass Index (BMI) to determine if weight has become health risk. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 60% of Americans are overweight, defined as having a BMI (a ratio of height to weight) over 25. Of those, nearly half (27%) qualify as obese, with a body mass index of 30 or more. In 1980, just 15% of Americans were considered obese. You can check your BMI at the website below.

2. Match your diet to your body’s requirements. If you eat and drink more calories than your body requires you will put on weight. Learn to control calories and portion sizes, make recipes leaner, and eat infrequently from fast food restaurants. Also learn how to snack with healthful choices.

3. Color your diet with a large variety of colorful, cancer-fighting fruit and vegetables. There are seven different color ranges of both fruit and vegetables and by choosing between 5 to 9 daily serves from a wide range of fruit and vegetables, we are extending our consumption of cancer (and other disease) fighting nutrients.

4. Eat lean protein with every meal. Protein provides a powerful signal to the brain providing a longer sense of fullness. The right source of protein is essential to controlling your hunger with fewer calories and necessary to maintain your lean muscle mass. Choices of protein should be flavored soy shakes with fruit; the white meat of chicken and turkey, seafood such as shrimps, prawns scallops and lobster and ocean fish or vegetarians may prefer soy based meat substitutes.

5. Rev up your metabolism with activity. If you want to enjoy a lifetime of well-being, exercise is a key ingredient. Colleen Doyle, MS, RD, director of nutrition and physical activity for the American Cancer Society (ACS), says adults should do something for 30 minutes each day that takes as much effort as a brisk walk. Children should be active for an hour each day. We are more likely to develop habits around things we enjoy, so seek activities which you enjoy doing. It is also helpful to build physical activity into your daily routine: use the stairs instead of the escalator or lift at work, park your car in the parking bay furthest from the super marketing and don’t use the remote control to change TV channels.

6. Get support to ensure you develop a healthful eating plan and reach your goal weight. Whilst a small percentage of people possess the discipline to lose weight, many obese people have developed strong thoughts and habits concerning the food they eat. In order to establish new habits, most people respond well to some form of consistent encouragement and coaching. A study, “Effects of Internet Behavioral Counseling on Weight Loss in Adults at Risk of Type 2 Diabetes?shows that participants who had the support of weight loss coaching lost more weight than those who didn’t. The study concluded that the support of a weight loss coach can significantly improve weight loss results.

Being overweight or obese has been identified next to smoking, as the most preventable major risk to developing cancer. Even small weight losses have been shown to have beneficial health effects. So it’s never to late to start and you can never be too young or too old to be concerned about your health and do something about achieving a more healthy weight.

(c) 2003 Kim Beardsmore

Breast Cancer; Its Causes

312

Breast cancer is a malignant tumor developed from cells of the breast, and it is one of the most common cancers affecting females, at time has not been established what is the exact cause of this one, but last researches clearly pointing that there are several risks factors;
These are the most probably breast cancer risk factors;
reiki, natural alternative medicine
Breast cancer is a malignant tumor developed from cells of the breast, and it is one of the most common cancers affecting females, at time has not been established what is the exact cause of this one, but last researches clearly pointing that there are several risks factors;
These are the most probably breast cancer risk factors;

- Last researches have established that in the age group above 50 years there is a high incidence; on the other hand, in the age group below 25 years the incidence is very low. It is very important to say that this disease is very aggressive in patient 25-50 years old.

- Menstrual cycle is other factor that should be considered; common in the ladies who have a longer menstrual life, i.e. the onset of menarche is earlier and cessation of menstruation is late.

- The women that smoke and drink alcohol increase the risk of developing breast cancer.

- Breast cancer is developed more frequently in spinsters and married woman that have not given birth to children, or if given birth then have not breast fed their offspring.

- The women that have had a breast cancer on one side have greater risk to develop cancer on the opposite side, and if there are antecedents of breast cancer in their families (mother, sisters and daughters), there are greatest risks too.

- Breast cancer is linked with obesity and higher intake of saturated fatty acids

- Breast cancer is linked too, with the continuous or sequential uses of combined oestrogen plus progestin hormone therapy (CHT)

- Women that have been using oral anti contraceptives for more than ten years are more vulnerable to the development of this disease.

On the other hand, women doing 4-5 hours of exercises per week reduce their risk of developing breast cancer.

In short, these facts derive from the statistical analysis; they should not be taken as causative or predisposing factors.

Lung Cancer Rates Linked To Education

VILLEJUIF, France — Europeans with the least level of education have a higher incidence of lung cancer compared to those with the highest level of education, researchers said. However, the study published online in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, found smoking history accounts for approximately half of the risk of developing lung cancer. Gwenn Menvielle and colleagues examined the association of smoking, diet, education, and lung cancer in 391,251 individuals in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition study. Menvielle, who conducted the research in The Netherlands at the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment and the department of public health of the Erasmus…

How to Avoid the Dangers of Paget’s Disease of The Breast

879

You will have heard of Paget’s Disease, a serious bone disease, but many of you will not have heard of Paget’s Disease of the breast, so I am hoping that the ladies out there reading this article will take notice of the content, because they could come in touch with this disease at some time.
paget’s disease,breast cancer,ladies health
Many of you will have heard of Paget’s Disease, which is a serious bone disease, but many of you will not have heard of Paget’s Disease of the breast, so I am hoping that the ladies out there reading this article will take notice of the content, because they could come in touch with this disease at some time in their life.

What Is Paget’s Disease Of The Breast?
It is an eczema type change in the skin of the nipple, and most women that develop it, will have an underlying breast cancer.
Paget’s Disease occurs in about 1 or 2% of women that have breast cancer, it appears firstly as a scaly, red rash affecting the nipple and the areola. It can be very sore, may bleed and it will not go away.

The disease can be difficult to diagnose, because it can be very similar to other skin problems like eczema or dermatitis, but this disease usually affects the nipple first then spreads to the areola, whereas the other skin problems usually start in the surrounding areas, first before spreading to the nipple.

I have been asked to include the following in this article, it is taken from an actual case, where the person with the disease wanted this message passed on by you, to all the ladies in your life, Mothers, Daughters, Sisters, Aunts and Friends.

“A lady developed a rash on her breast, similar to that of young mothers who are nursing. Because her mammogram had been clear, the doctor treated her with antibiotics for infections.
After two treatments it continued to get worse, her doctor sent her for another mammogram, and this time it showed a mass.

A biopsy found a fast growing malignancy. Chemotherapy was started in order to shrink the growth; then mastectomy; then a full round of Chemotherapy; followed by radiation treatment.

After about 9 months of intense treatment, she was given a clean bill of health. She had one year of living each day to its fullest. Then the cancer returned to the liver area. She took four treatments and decided that she wanted quality of life, not the after effects of Chemotherapy.
She had 5 great months, and she planned each detail of the final days.

After just a few days of needing morphine, she slipped away saying she had done what God had sent her into the world to do.”

PLEASE be alert to any thing that is not normal.

Her message is shown below:

“Paget’s Disease: This is a rare form of breast cancer, and is on the outside of the breast, on the nipple and areola. It appeared as a rash, which later became a lesion with a crusty outer edge. I would not have ever suspected it to be breast cancer, but it was. My nipple never seemed any different to me, but the rash bothered me, so I went to the doctor for that. Sometimes, it itched and was sore, but other than that it didn’t bother me.
It was just ugly and a nuisance, and could not be cleared up with all the creams prescribed by my doctor and dermatologist for the dermatitis on my eyes just prior to this outbreak.

They seemed a little concerned. Mine started out as a single red pimple on the areola. One of the biggest problems with Paget’s disease of the nipple is that the symptoms appear to be harmless. It is frequently thought to be a skin inflammation or infection, leading to unfortunate delays in detection and care.

What are the symptoms? The symptoms include:

A persistent redness, oozing, and crusting of your nipple causing it to itch and burn. (As I stated, mine did not itch or burn much, and had no oozing I was aware of, but it did have a crust along the outer edge on one side.)

A sore on your nipple that will not heal. (Mine was on the areola area with a whitish thick looking area in center of nipple).

Usually only one nipple is affected. How is it diagnosed? Your doctor will do a physical exam and should suggest having a mammogram of both breasts, done immediately.
Even though the redness, oozing and crusting closely resembles dermatitis (inflammation of the skin), your doctor should suspect cancer if the sore is only on one breast. Your doctor should order a biopsy of your sore to confirm what is going on.

This message should be taken seriously and passed on to as many of your relatives and friends as possible; it could save someone’s life

My breast cancer has spread and metastasized to my bones after receiving mega doses of chemotherapy, twenty eight treatments of radiation and taking Tamaxofin.
If this had been diagnosed as breast cancer in the beginning, perhaps it would not have spread”.

TO ALL READERS: This is sad as women are not aware of Paget’s disease.

As we all know, early diagnosis is so important with all kinds of diseases, so if you are in any doubt about any medical problem, for goodness sake, make an appointment to see a Physician, soon as possible.

If you would like to see more health information, that can help you, Please visit my web site.

Dose volume histogram analysis of normal structures associated with accelerated partial breast irradiation delivered by high dose rate brachytherapy and comparison with whole breast external beam radiotherapy fields

PurposeTo assess the radiation dose delivered to the heart and ipsilateral lung during accelerated partial breast brachytherapy using a MammoSite™ applicator and compare to those produced by whole breast external beam radiotherapy (WBRT).Materials and methodsDosimetric analysis was conducted on patients receiving MammoSite breast brachytherapy following conservative surgery for invasive ductal carcinoma. Cardiac dose was evaluated for patients with left breast tumors with a CT scan encompassing the entire heart. Lung dose was evaluated for patients in whom the entire lung was scanned. The prescription dose of 3400 cGy was 1 cm from the balloon surface. MammoSite dosimetry was compared to simulated WBRT fields with and without radiobiological correction for the effects of dose and fractionation. Dose parameters such as the volume of the structure receiving 10 Gy or more (V10) and the dose received by 20 cc of the structure (D20), were calculated as well as the maximum and mean doses received.
Results:
Fifteen patients were studied, five had complete lung data and six had left-sided tumors with complete cardiac data. Ipsilateral lung volumes ranged from 925–1380 cc. Cardiac volumes ranged from 337–551 cc. MammoSite resulted in a significantly lower percentage lung V30 and lung and cardiac V20 than the WBRT fields, with and without radiobiological correction.
Conclusion:
This study gives low values for incidental radiation received by the heart and ipsilateral lung using the MammoSite applicator. The volume of heart and lung irradiated to clinically significant levels was significantly lower with the MammoSite applicator than using simulated WBRT fields of the same CT data sets.Trial registrationDana Farber Trial Registry number 03-179

Sputum Cytology, Bronchoscopy Practical Way To Detect Early Lung Cancer

HONG KONG — Sputum cytology and bronchoscopy examinations could help detecting early central airway lung cancer, researchers of the University of Hong Kong said here Tuesday. The university’s Faculty of Medicine conducted the study by screening about 400 lung cancer high-risk cases starting from 2002. The cases involved were smokers aged 40 or above, who smoked more than 20 packs of cigarettes a year. Sputum examinations followed by bronchoscopies were done among the cases. The result showed that none of the central airway cancer cases was missed by sputum cytology. More than 46 percent of people diagnosed with lung cancer were in early stages. The faculty’s Honorary Clinical Assistant Professor Lam Bing said Tuesday…

Breast Cancer Ribbon

540

These days almost every worthy cause finds itself a proper ribbon, without getting into the debate about the use of ribbons and how people use them, there are not many ribbons that I know of that are more important than the breast cancer ribbon.

Breast cancer is a dangerous enemy, while it is true that the awareness to its risks and the understanding of the prevention measures that need to be taken on a regular basis has increased over the years and had probably saved many…
breast cancer, cancer, breasts cancer, woman cancer
These days almost every worthy cause finds itself a proper ribbon, without getting into the debate about the use of ribbons and how people use them, there are not many ribbons that I know of that are more important than the breast cancer ribbon.

Breast cancer is a dangerous enemy, while it is true that the awareness to its risks and the understanding of the prevention measures that need to be taken on a regular basis has increased over the years and had probably saved many lives, some people are still not aware of breast cancer and others prefer to live in some sort of denial.

So why is it important to use the pink ribbon and join the fight against breast cancer? First of all it shows the most important thing a person can show, it shows that you care, its shows that you are willing to give a little of your time or energy to try and educate more people, to warn some others and to maybe, just by doing this very small action contribute to saving a life. This is not a joke, sometimes awareness is all that separates the ill from the healthy and the dead from the living, we are at an age where people are learning of new dangers every day, and with all these upcoming potential dangers of terrorism and natural disasters breast cancer has been here long enough and has cause so much pain and suffering that it certainly deserves to be treated as something we should all remember, even on a daily basis.

Every October is the international breast cancer awareness month, this is the time to try and do the most to increase the public awareness of this disease, and educate woman about the ways they can fight breast cancer, this month is also dedicated to raising money for the many different organizations and foundations that are working all year round on helping victims of breast cancer, some of these patients have no money and no funds they can use to try and treat the cancer, and these organizations help them get the support that they need.

So all you got to do is just place one of these pink ribbons on your shirt of jacket, and show the solidarity you have with the breast cancer patients, the victims and the family and friends of those who have been effected by this terrible disease. Remember that you do not have to limit yourself only to the month of October, and that it is enough for only one person to ask you about this ribbon ?once a year to make a huge difference, think about hundreds, if not thousands of people like you doing the same thing every day, and each one of these people is approached by an uneducated person, how many lives can be speared.

Lets hope that in the future the fight against breast cancer, as the fight against all kinds of cancer, will achieve its goals and that this disease will claim less victims, that modern medicine and science will find cures and that more and more people around the world will live healthier and happier lives.

Visit http://breastcancer.healthandcosmetics.com/ for more Breast Cancer information.

Breast Cancer and You; Risk Factors and Safety Precautions

625

Despite more awareness, the availability of mammography screening, and the benefits of self-examination, breast cancer continues to be a number one cause of death for women.

This 634 informative piece outlines the risks and age factors associated with breast cancer while enhancing the importance of early detection. Thorough, eye-opening, and convincing, this article shares information vital to women of all ages, regardless of race or lifestyle. It could save a life!
unique content,free content,breast cancer,cancer
Today’s woman is more knowledgeable and conscientious than ever about the risks of breast cancer. This is especially true for women over 40 years of age, who have crossed the threshold of increased risk of breast cancer.

Age is so important to the development of breast cancer that about 76% of women who develop it have no other risk factors other than age. However, all women, regardless of age or race, need to acknowledge the risk of developing it. All women are at risk.

Risk Factors

Women who have never smoked a day in their entire lives can develop breast cancer. Women who have been always been health conscious can also develop it. In fact, nearly one woman out of eleven will experience breast cancer. A staggering statistic by anybody’s standards!

An estimated 211,000 new cases of breast cancer was diagnosed this past year. Even with the increased awareness programs, early detection through annual mammography screening and instruction for self-examination, breast cancer remains a leading cause of death for women.

Breast cancer, like other forms of cancer, is a disease of the cells. In all, there are about fifteen different types of breast cancer. Some are more serious than others, but the one common factor each shares is that neither the cause nor the cure has been found.

There are four recognized developmental stages of breast cancer:

(1.) State 0: Cancer cells are present in either the lining of the milk glands (lobules), or in the tubes (ducts) that link the milk glands to the nipple. No cancer cells have spread to the nearby fatty tissue.
(2.) Stage 1: Cancer has spread to nearby fatty tissue in the breast. Tumor size is about 1?or under; no cancer cells are present in surrounding lymph nodes.
(3.) Stage 2: Size of tumor is 1?to 2?in diameter; cancer cells may have also spread to nearby lymph nodes.
(4.) Stage 3: Cancer is locally advanced. Tumors are approximately 2?or larger in diameter, or tumors of any size have spread to lymph nodes under the arm or in the chest (above or below the collarbone).
(5.) Stage 4: Metastatic, advanced breast cancer. The cancer has spread from the breast and lymph nodes to other parts of the body.

Early detection of breast cancer remains a woman’s best chance of survival, and women of all ages should take advantage of all the resources available.

Every woman should:

1.) Become educated about the risk factors associated with breast cancer.
2.) Become knowledgeable about the types, stages, and symptoms of breast cancer.
3.) Learn the correct procedure for self-examination tests, and perform them routinely.

Long-term use of oral contraceptives, early menstruation, late first full-term pregnancy, exposure to high doses of radiation ?puberty through childbearing years, and inherited genetic mutation can all increase a woman’s risk of acquiring breast cancer.

Women 40 years of age and older should also:

1.) Have an annual mammography screening.
2.) Become educated about increased age-related risks associated with breast cancer.

Recent studies confirm that risk of breast cancer in midlife increases with regular consumption of alcohol, hormone replacement therapy, weight, and body mass distribution.

During self-examination, look for a lump or thickening in the breast, a discharge from the nipple, scaliness on the skin or around the nipple, a change in shape, color, or texture, and dimpling or puckering.

If you detect a lump, don’t panic. About 85-percent of all lumps turn out to be nonmalignant. Make an appointment with your doctor for a more thorough examination, and tests.

Treatment for breast cancer today is often less radical than in years past, and chances for survival much better when the tumor is discovered early.

Author’s note: The third Friday in October is National Mammography Day. This year, that day will be celebrated October 20, 2006.

More Evidence Links Alcohol, Cancer In Women

WASHINGTON — A study of nearly 1.3 million British women offers yet more evidence that moderate alcohol consumption increases the risk of a handful of cancers. British researchers surveyed middle-aged women at breast cancer screening clinics about their drinking habits, and tracked their health for seven years. A quarter of the women reported no alcohol use. Nearly all the rest reported fewer than three drinks a day; the average was one drink a day. Researchers compared the lightest drinkers – two or fewer drinks a week – with people who drank more. Each extra drink per day increased the risk of breast, rectal and liver cancer, University of Oxford researchers reported Tuesday in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The t…